Qaraganda Court Hands Sentence Down to Lawyer

A Qaraganda court has revised the sentence of lawyer Rashid Yefizov, who was initially given restricted freedom for fraud and inciting bribery, Orda.kz reports.

Rashid Yefizov, a Qaraganda Regional Bar Association member, previously defended Rustam Kulkeyev, a police department's investigative unit head. 

The region's chief investigator was detained on suspicion of stealing mining equipment.

However, the police chief had to change lawyers after Yefizov himself came under investigation in a separate case.

It emerged that the lawyer attempted to profit from a nursery director who was accused of embezzling budget funds.

Rashid Yefizov tried to convince his client to give four million tenge to an investigator to avoid arrest. 

The woman reported this to the National Security Committee (KNB).

The security services devised a plan to expose Yefizov. At the agents' request, the director handed over the money to her lawyer, at which point he was caught.

Yefizov later claimed he never intended to pass the money on and planned to keep it for himself.

The court of first instance sentenced Yefizov to just over two and a half years of restricted freedom. 

Prosecutors later requested a harsher sentence. It was also discovered that the judge who issued the initial verdict had previously worked with the convicted lawyer in the police force.

The appeals court sentenced the lawyer to three years in prison. He has also been permanently banned from working in the civil service, judiciary, and quasi-public sector.

The guilt of the convicted person is confirmed by the victim's testimony, results of special operations, and video recordings. Y. and his lawyer did not dispute the proof of guilt, the Qaraganda Regional Court commented.

Original Author: Alina Pak